Cabinet reshuffle

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, so goes the old adage found in English writer John Heywood’s Collection of Proverbs.

But when it comes to Philippine politics, a thick billowing grey smoke doesn’t necessarily mean there’s fire. It might just mean a couple of power players jockeying for critical positions in the Marcos administration or floating trial balloons. They’re out there and all over – the kingmakers, Old Boys’ Club and power blocs out to protect their own interest.

This might be what’s fueling all this grapevine talk about a looming reshuffle in the Cabinet, which has been going around for roughly a month now.

A stock market analyst said an actual reshuffle may send equities investors jittery and keep our already anemic market even paler than it already is as it would again mean slower reforms as new appointees would have to start from scratch.

The tales making the rounds in chat groups and coffee shop talk say three Cabinet officials will be replaced – Finance Secretary Ben Diokno, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Malacañang insiders and the camps of the concerned officials say it’s all just talk. At least for now; because we never really know in this nation of 114 million what happens next.

I’ve known individuals who’ve been asked to present credentials to Malacañang for the Department of Agriculture portfolio, for instance, only to be left out in the cold; some names were even announced in the media.

Snake pit

I guess there’s no popping the champagne just yet until you’ve actually been sworn in, although even appointed officials know all too well that once they decide to join government, they practically plunge themselves into a snake pit.

Thus, such rumors of a Cabinet revamp aren’t surprising, especially if the concerned official is in a sector with so many moving parts, as in the case of Sec. Jimmy Bautista.

Early into his term, he’s already been the subject of vicious attacks left and right; a member of his airport team, no less than the general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Cesar Chiong, has been slapped with a case and more recently, Sec. Jimmy had been accused of accepting grease money.

It’s really unfortunate that those who try to do good in government face challenges along the way, mostly by those with vested interest. Who could be behind these moves?

Could it be groups that do not agree with Sec. Jimmy’s plans, such as the more inclusive solicited bid route for the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) versus unsolicited bid? Or could it be the reforms he and GM Chiong put in place at NAIA? Or does it have anything to do with the changes he’s been implementing at the Land Transportation Office?

It’s really a puzzle that all hell breaks loose whenever there are proposed changes in the country’s main gateway. Remember how the Megawide-GMR group also found itself facing a court case when it submitted a proposal to modernize NAIA?

Recent attacks against Sec. Jimmy now include allegations of corruption, obviously intended to prevent the good secretary from weeding out institutionalized money-making schemes in the different agencies under the Department of Transportation.

Whoever is behind this sleight of hand probably has so much to lose. After all, Sec. Jimmy’s efforts have been all about rectifying concession contracts deemed disadvantageous to the government, if not totally onerous.

He’s also determined to fix the country’s aviation industry, having been on the other side before; he served as the longtime president of Lucio Tan-owned Philippine Airlines.

On allegations of corruption, Sec. Jimmy is resolute in clearing his name. He has already filed cybercrime complaints against his accusers as he denied accepting money or favors as alleged by the Manibela Group.

As for the other Cabinet officials, I haven’t covered their departments recently so I’m not sure where the noise is coming from. What I heard is that the rumored replacement of Sec. Diokno reportedly is not so keen on the Finance portfolio, considering how challenging it is at this time with the country’s sovereign debt already at a new record of P14.35 trillion as of end August.

What happens next is anybody’s guess. Six years is a long time for an incompetent government official and a very short one for real public servants.

I am not sure if a Cabinet reshuffle would speed up reforms in government. So far, nothing big or grand has happened yet under this administration more than a year into its term, except the suspension of the Maharlika Fund rules and the realignment of confidential funds. Inflation is still on the rise and ordinary Filipinos are still so hard up.

Foreign investments

One silver lining is the growth in foreign investments, at least based on a report by the Department of Trade and Industry.

From January to September, the Trade department’s Board of Investments approved P734 billion in total investments, of which P427 billion are foreign investments.

The P427 billion, attributed to President Marcos’ foreign trips, represents a 150 percent increase compared to last year’s record.

Bulk of the P427-billion investments are in renewable energy, said Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, who noted that the removal of the foreign equity restrictions on renewable energy projects have attracted more investors into the sector.

Let’s hope these investments actually materialize so we can look forward to more jobs for more Filipinos.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen (Iris Gonzales) on Facebook.